Nothing matters more to Tom Rogers than how trust ripples through Australia’s electoral landscape

A lot hinges on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) fulfilling its brief, including general public attitudes about the competence and trustworthiness of government institutions. And commissioner Tom Rogers makes no bones about it.

People often talk about democratic machinery and resilience as though they are components of a processing line for liberal democracy.

But the kind of stuff that puts a lot of those things at stake — while posing a very real existential threat — are far less tangible than mechanical parts like a wheel or conveyor belt on the factory floor.